redactable | WEEK TWO: MINGLE

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mingle

WEEK TWO: MINGLE

WEEK TWO: MINGLE
(37 remain)

Rise and shine, gremlins. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and it's the start of a new week. To the participants, yesterday's events may seem distant now—albeit not as distant as their life before this. Whether or not they notice, they will have lost a memory upon waking up.

The barrier to the north is down, and beyond the bridge lies new areas to explore. Strangely, what was there last week seems to have been replaced overnight. That's not the only thing that's different, either. The participants will find that their lodgings have changed, and new buildings within the town have been unlocked. Finally, should anyone check their PHS, Cater, Sharon, and Kano's profiles have been removed.

Three Leaders can be found around the area, open (?) to approach. If participants want to speak to them more privately, or to an absent Leader, it looks like they'll have to go through another channel.

Furthermore, it looks as though the rules have updated. If you break the current ninth rule, participants will get shocked. It will be a mild shock at first, but the longer they touch each other, the stronger it will get. On that note, if your character did not share a memory last week, please make sure to check your notifs!

Participants may also find that their memories of the past few weeks are getting fuzzier... as though they can't recall some of the details without focusing.

Finally, this week, every time a participant gets within one foot of someone, they will experience the emotions the other person is currently feeling and vice-versa. This will last for ten seconds even after they've stepped out of their personal bubble, after which the sharing itself might share, but the knowledge will not. Have fun!

NAVIGATION

locations ₓ˚. statuses *+:｡ ic profiles :ₓo ic rules ･ﾟﾟ･｡ audience requests
murder proposals ｡✧o private conversations ･ﾟo｡ curfew ･ﾟ✧ memories

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ she doesn't have to follow the story to enjoy listening to him tell it. in a way it's kind of like - when she was a kid, being told bedtime stories by her parents. it's kind of nonsensical to her, or it may as well be, but it's still fun.

but she's clementine, so the only thing she can think of to say is, like, ]

That... All sounds really exhausting.

[he at least wasn't kidding about knowing how to steer a ship, so their sailboat moves its way across the water effortlessly as he laughs in agreement. typical. he didn't really expect another answer, but there's amusement there.]

Maybe. I don't think I felt that way when it was happening though, you know? It was just what we had to do, and it was nice to see our friends again even if it was only for a little while.

[ good sailing, sora. clementine is just. here being lazy. (mostly because she doesn't know dick about boats.) ]

I get that. Everything feels shorter while it's happening.

For me... Reuniting with friends never seems to be a good thing.

[listen he's mostly just doing this to get clementine to relax a little and enjoy the ocean air.]

Yeah, exactly. I kind of lost track of time after everything. [they're sailing a little further out.] ...just because of everything that was going on in your world? Or did things change even further?

[ it's working, a little bit ]

Just the world, I guess. I thought Kenny was dead for a long time, but found him later on. Then had to watch the world break him apart. I thought Lilly was dead too. But she came back and wanted to kidnap everyone from...

[ hrm? clem can't seem to figure out where that sentence was originally going. ]

My friends. Into some stupid faction war. Had to kill her, too.

[...that's kind of terrible actually and there's a ping of sympathy and also maybe a little understanding as the boat sails along.]

...it's not the same, but when Riku, Kairi and I got separated the first time I had no idea where they were. So I searched everywhere for them. Riku was looking for Kairi, too, but he let the darkness into his heart.

When I finally found him again, he'd lost control of himself and somebody else was controlling him. So I had to fight him and defeat him myself to save him. We lost each other again after that. Kairi, too.

Since then our reunions have always been kinda short because the worlds needed our help and we didn't have time to stop. And even now...[well. he doesn't need to worry her with that, so he frowns then.] Maybe someday...things will be better for you. You have some new friends now, don't you?

He's still alive though, isn't he? Your friend?

[ ... if they weren't friends she probably wouldn't bother to add this. but. ] I mean. I'm sure it's still hard. Defeating him - whatever that means.

[ she doesn't really get the rules of other worlds. but she shakes her head. ]

The kids we just met are cool, but we're just passing through.

Yeah. He's okay now. Kairi, too. All of them are doing okay. [but there's something that sort of stands out in his own emotions that she may pick up on, though it's hard to clearly tell when it's just a pang of something disjointed.

but he shakes his head. no talking about his world right now.]

Where're you planning to go from there then? Do you know?

[ her brow furrows a bit, because his feelings have been mostly easy to process. she gives him a curious look, but she's willing to brush past it if he is. ]

No idea. We just keep moving.

AJ wants to find somewhere to stay. Somewhere to settle down and call home. But... Every time he asks, all I can do is tell him "maybe." I'm not sure that kind of thing can exist anymore.

[he will willfully ignore that look because he knows better than to let his thoughts stray too far. it doesn't quite fade, but it gets buried by curiosity and calm once more.]

How mad are you gonna be if I say home is where the heart is? [a teasing smile.] ...there has to be a way. Even if it takes time, I don't think something like that is impossible for you guys.

[ she rolls her eyes at him. ] Pretty mad.

... You're an easier target for raiders if you stay in one place. All the places to loot get tapped dry. Old stores, other people's abandoned camps.

Anywhere you do try to stay has to be somewhere that can hold up through the winter, and somewhere with water nearby and animals to hunt for food. And anywhere that used to be close to civilization has too many walkers to really be safe. Plus sometimes there are herds of them that pass by.

[ so the sturdy shelters are in dangerous areas, and the areas where you can be self sufficient don't have good enough shelter. ]

Thought so. [but...ah...]

Okay what...is a walker? And a raider? [just to be clear here.] Maybe a tree house could work but I get the feeling that's not what you're thinking either.

[can walkers climb? who knows.]

[ oh did she not. tell him about this. ]

... Where I'm from, the dead come back. And they just... Eat. If you get bit, you die and become one. If you die - it doesn't matter how - you become one. And raiders are just people who want to steal from you. Easier than being self sufficient.

Being high up will keep you safe from walkers, but not other people.

[ but she does give. a light laugh? haha... mood lightening... ]

My little tree house was how I survived the first couple of days. My parents left me alone with a baby-sitter, and she turned. So I hid up there.

[it's been three weeks and she's never told him this, he just knows her world is ruined.

but also. wow! that's terrifying!]

Kinda sounds like the Heartless. They turn into monsters when the person loses their heart, and all they care about is consumption and spreading darkness.

[but given the flare of alarm he recognizes that's actually horrifying.]

...Clementine, how long have you been on your own?

... A couple years. I don't know. I was little when it all started - too little to survive by myself. I went from group to group for a long time, but sometimes I was by myself between groups.

I stopped dealing with them when I got AJ back. That was almost - three years ago, I guess.

Aren't we the same age? [this is more to be polite than anything because...a lot of things suddenly make way more sense now, wow.]

You've survived with AJ for three years. That's pretty impressive on its own.

Well, yeah. [ like, it is. she knows that it is - not everyone can raise a baby alone in this kind of world, anymore. but praise is still weird. ] I don't know how it compares to saving worlds and fighting "heartless," though.

... It got easier once he could talk. I was alone for a year or so when he was a baby. Before the New Frontier.

[that same weird, disjointed set of emotions crops up again but he simple shrugs.]

The things you went through weren't even close to being easy. [like. he could not possibly take care of a baby? he can barely even take care of himself sometimes.] So what's the New Frontier?

... That's getting harder to ignore.
[ but that said, she's still willing to.

She rolls up her sleeve to show the symbol branded on her arm - up above a big nasty scar. I'm too lazy to link to what it looks like because I'm on my phone. She hasn't been hiding it during trials, but then again, the only time it would be visible would be during strip checks, so. ]

One of the bigger groups. Took me in for a while. Kicked me out, stole AJ from me. Made me think he was dead. They're gone now. [ which she feels vindictive about; her emotions make it extra clear that she's glad about that group's collapse. ]

[he gives her a questioning look because he has no idea what she's talking about? or he's at least going to pretend he has no idea and focus instead on what she's showing him. there's just a frown at that.

the sailboat continues to go across the water. at least he was right that he knows how to sail.]

Kinda sounds like that's for the better. What were they even gaining by doing that to you?

[ she is unconvinced, but nice enough to let him get away with it anyway... for now... ]

They were all assholes. It wasn't about what they gained, it was what they weren't willing to give up.

AJ got sick and they didn't think he'd make it. They wouldn't give me the medicine for him, so I stole it. So... They kicked me out and kept AJ.

Their doctor had been the one who said they didn't think he'd get better, even with the medicine. So for a long time I just assumed...

So they didn't even try...? [if there was medicine there, and aj was sick, why didn't they just give it to him?] I don't think I'd make a different assumption either.

[...what a bunch of jerks.] I'm glad you both got out of there. What a mess.

Yeah. They had sent him somewhere else, but I was able to get him back.

[ her expression doesn't give it away, but it's clearly a bad memory; there's a strong wave of residual panic and guilt and turmoil that comes up. ]

Good. [yeah, he can sense that and it's why he just forces himself to stay calm. he's figured out that they're trading, somehow, so he's doing his best to remain bright enough to try and offset it.]

...you impress me a lot. Did I ever tell you that?

[ it helps - and there's little flutter of comfort from his words. it's not enough to completely wash away the remnants of her repressed trauma, but it's nice. makes her feel a little warm.

but she's bad at this, so she shrugs and says, very flatly: ]

Yeah, I'm amazing.

[ surely sarcasm will help! ]

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